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<title>The Boneyard Wurm by Boethiah</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28746741">The Boneyard Wurm</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boethiah/pseuds/Boethiah'>Boethiah</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Magic: The Gathering (Card Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Gift Fic, Innistrad (Magic: The Gathering), One Shot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 14:20:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28746741</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boethiah/pseuds/Boethiah</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Two cathars chance upon a strange creature in the woods.</p><p>Written for r/fanfiction's Pledge 2020.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Boneyard Wurm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exewon/gifts">Exewon</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As one travels farther west of Gavony, the Church of Avacyn’s power wanes – humankind’s forces are stretched too thinly across too many settlements. There, men and women are given to the power of innumerable horrors; vampires, werewolves, and creatures stranger still. In the Geier Reach, where the fog is thickest and the angels’ power thinnest, all manner of monsters hold sway over innocent lives – yet even there, humans are not without their protectors.</p><p>I was a young cathar then – brown-haired and lean, and only showing the beginnings of a beard. I'd completed my training with the Church a year prior, and had been sent off for my first serious assignment with nothing but a sword and a few throwing daggers. Dristor, the village was called; I have not been there since that night, and do not know if it even still stands.</p><p>Cattle had been disappearing in the night, without so much as a trace or an eyewitness account. Whatever had been making them disappear was no werewolf – no beast’s paws were left on the scene, only immense lines embedded in the earth, as though by an immense worm. By the time I’d arrived, my partner was already there.</p><p>It was when I entered the farmer’s house when I first saw her. I would not see a real angel until many years later; for years, her face was what I imagined they looked like. Crimson-haired and fair-cheeked, she was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen until then – yet she wore a sword on her side and a wide-brimmed hat to match my own, both of which marked her as a cathar like myself.</p><p>She turned to me. “You must be Candor,” she said, her expression blank and her voice unwavering. “I’m Kessler. Now let’s go – the more time we waste here, the more victims the creature could claim.”</p><p>I followed her, not daring to ask her any questions. We tracked the beast to the southern woods, where the lines led us to a clearing – as we progressed inward, I noticed that she’d kept a hand on her sword’s hilt. I kept quiet throughout, though my heart burned to know her; any sound I made could prove a potentially fatal distraction.</p><p>When the tracks stopped, I saw my second unforgettable sight for the night. Deep into the clearing was an immense pile of bones – whatever had stolen the cow had devoured it and kept its bones here, like some twisted game hunter. Tracks circled the pile, although Kessler could not read them; there was no telling where the creature was now.</p><p>I gulped. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” I said, far too loudly under the circumstances.</p><p>“Shh – quiet!” Kessler said, her voice a hiss. “It might – “</p><p>That was when the rattling started. It filled the air, coming from seemingly every direction – my eyes darted back and forth, frantically searching for the sound’s source. We drew our weapons, ready for an attack from any direction; even Kessler’s presence couldn’t keep me off guard.</p><p>Behind us, something immense slithered out of the trees. We turned around, weapons drawn and feet ready to pounce – what greeted us was no werewolf.</p><p>It was an enormous serpent, covered in thick scales – it had a head like a gargoyle’s, with yellow eyes that gleamed in the moonlight and a maw full of fanged teeth. Once it had slithered out, it coiled, surveying both of us with unblinking eyes; its mouth dribbled with spit.</p><p>The serpent uttered a low growl – the last warning we’d get. Then it struck.</p><p>I stumbled back, fumbling with my sword; spinning around, I turned to look at my companion. But Kessler had already dashed towards the creature. Then their movements were a blur; Kessler weaved past the serpent’s strike and swung her sword into its neck. My grip shaking, I screamed and charged, jabbing at the serpent’s throat – but my sword only met thin air.</p><p>I felt a shoulder push me into the pile; as I landed into the pile, my impact kicked up dust. My sword fell – instinctively, I reached for it. Then there was a flash of light, and the familiar sound of a spell being cast; I shut my eyes and gripped my sword’s hilt, smelling the scent of sizzling flesh.</p><p>When my eyes readjusted, I saw the creature knocked into the pile, a searing wound at its side – towering over it was Kessler, who held her sword in one hand and a fistful of light in the other. The serpent reared its head again and roared, a deafening sound that sent a chill down my spine.</p><p>Wordlessly, Kessler pounced. I heard steel meeting dry bone; I knew in that instant that she’d missed. Once again, I got up and swung my sword – it met with the serpent’s reared neck once again, eliciting a cry of agony from it. I felt the surge of triumph; then it turned to me.</p><p>In that split-second, I knew what to do. Letting go of my sword, I jumped back and reached for a dagger. With one fluid motion, I flung a dagger into the creature’s gullet – it fell into the pile, kicking up dust. Blood gurgled from its throat and gushed out of the wound, dribbling onto the bones around it.</p><p>Life fading out of its eyes, the creature tried to struggle up; then I heard Kessler scream. She swung her sword and hacked the creature’s head clean off. Blood ran everywhere.</p><p>It took me a moment to realize that I was panting. I tried to straighten myself, but fell instead; as I struggled up, I felt a white-hot sensation run up to my face.</p><p>Walking towards me with my sword in hand, Kessler looked straight at me – as she handed me my sword, she smiled the only smile I’d ever see from her. “You’re not bad, kid,” she said, clapping me on the back.</p><p>Then her expression turned blank again. “Now help me carry this damned thing’s head back.”</p>
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